F.U.Rain - Exploring the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bears Ears and more! (Oct 2018)

We'd returned from The Re-Tour a mere three weeks before our departure date, but that didn't mean there were only a few short days to plan for our next epic adventure. In fact, quite the contrary - we'd been planning our trip south to Arizona and Utah for nearly a year - knowing that there was way more ground than we could cover in the two weeks we had allocated for the excursion.

Our plan was simple, if long. Start in St. George, Utah, and work our way east - first along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, then through Glen Canyon National Monument (Lake Powell), and then through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument to Bears Ears National Monument and Natural Bridges National Monuments. Then, finally, we'd work our way back north through Capitol Reef National Park, having seen the plethora of sights and plenty of dirt roads along the way. It was, to be sure, the most ambitious trip (for me) to date!

Read the first chapter and see all the photos at:
Exploring the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bears Ears and more! (Oct 2018)​

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Exploring the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Bears Ears and more! (Oct 2018)


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...Monte sitting on the edge, any me laying out over it to snap shots down the cliff edge were more than Mike could stomach. "Stop it guys, I can't watch!" he finally said as he headed back to the trucks to wait, letting us know that @mrs.turbodb and @MissBlackdawg would surely not be happy with us....

To see pics of more of our antics, read: F.U.Rain Day 3 - Stop It You Guys, I Can't Watch!

Monte, just hangin' out on the edge.


F.U.Rain Day 3 - Stop It You Guys, I Can't Watch!


--- catch up on the whole story so far ---
[day 1&2] [day 3]​

 

It was a bit after noon, and as we pulled out of the gas station, I suggested that we eat lunch once we got out of town and back on dirt...Then, as we headed southeast, rain. Not just a little rain either - this was serious, truck-washing rain.

"And so it begins." said Monte over the CB, followed shortly by "F*ck you rain." It wouldn't be the last time...

Read the full story and photos now: F.U.Rain Day 4 - And So It Begins...​

F.U.Rain Day 4 - And So It Begins...



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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4]​

 

It was as though someone had taken the brightest yellow paint available, mixed it with sunlight, and spread it throughout the landscape. We were truly lucky to be here - a week before or after and we'd have missed this spectacular display!

Check this out to see what I mean: F.U.Rain Day 5 - Amazing Aspen and Electrical Storms

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F.U.Rain Day 5 - Amazing Aspen and Electrical Storms​

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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5]​

 

I'd slept well through the rain, earplugs doing their job to mute the noise of the drops on the tent. But they did little to soften that first clap of thunder. It wasn't until the next flash of lightning that I could count the delay - about 8 seconds - not too bad.

But then more lightning. And more. It was constant, as the wind continued to whip at the tent. And it was getting closer. 7 seconds. Then 5. Eventually, I could barely...

...read the full story: F.U.Rain Day 6 - Less Than Two Seconds

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--- catch up on the whole story so far ---
[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6]​

 

...The view at Alstrom Point was better than I'd expected. I suppose I'd have known what it looked like if I'd checked it out online before the trip, but it was such a nice surprise to see it for the first time when I arrived in person.

Read about this special place, and take in the photos: F.U.Rain Day 7 - We Arrive at Alstrom Point

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F.U.Rain Day 7 - We Arrive at Alstrom Point

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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7]​

 

...We'd spent a good amount of time on this canyon crossing and we had a way to go before we reached the Grand Bench. Our discussion now - given the clearly impending rain and weather warnings on the ham radio - was about whether we wanted to camp at Grand Bench or try to make it out and back through this section of trail before the ground was saturated.

Ultimately, we decided that either way we were going to Grand Bench, and that we better get on it. So we did.

Read what happened, and check out some crazy photos: F.U.Rain Day 8 - The Grand Bench is a Grand Mess

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F.U.Rain Day 8 - The Grand Bench is a Grand Mess




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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8]​

 

...Finally, we spotted the main wash through the canyon. Still a half mile or more away, it was clear to us at this point that we were likely to have a problem - the wash, which had been completely dry the day before, was a rushing river, all the washes we'd passed so far feeding into it...

It was muddy and we had a quarter mile of wash to drive through...

It was F.U.Rain Day 9 - "Seriously?"​

F.U.Rain Day 9 - "Seriously?"




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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9]​

 

Did you buy chance go through a town called Mexican Hat? It's very close to the San Juan River goosenecks which you obviously saw (nice pic!) There's a joint there called the San Juan Inn, has these amazing Navaho Tacos on homemade fry bread. One of the best things I've ever eaten.

 

Also, the photos on this thread are incredible, what kind of camera were you using? The colors are really vivid.

 

We didn't make it quite as far east as Mexican Hat - the meander that we saw was actually on the Colorado River near Page, AZ called "Horseshoe Bend." Actually - and unfortunately - it's a place where a girl fell to her death recently.

I've made a note now however - if I pass through Mexican Hat, I need to try some of those Tacos! I love Tacos.

Thanks much, appreciate that! This came up in my adventure thread where I'm posting the trip recently too, but tends to get lost in all the pages there. i shoot with a Canon 80D, and the majority of shots are with the 18-135 USM lens, which I think is perhaps the best all-around lens you can get. Wide angle with the 10-18 ISM, which is good but clearly not as well made as the USM. Post-processing with Lightroom Classic.

 

It's crazy that there's the same type of bend in the Colorado.

The name of the place is actually the San Juan Inn and Trading Post, and they are open face tacos like this:



I just got my wife a Canon T6 for Christmas, I know it's not super-high end but I hope it can take some quality pictures. It has the normal and the telephoto lens, and my neighbor is offering his unneeded Canon lens similar to what you described.

 

The slot canyons were amazing!

As we wrapped up our exploration and pulled back onto the road toward camp we stumbled across The Devil's Garden - a "garden" of hoodoo's (and one arch), brilliant orange against the late afternoon sky and clouds...

If you're ever in the area, this is something you absolutely can't miss - but for now, check it out in
F.U.Rain Day 10 - The Slot Canyon's of Grand Staircase-Escalante​

F.U.Rain Day 10 - The Slot Canyon's of Grand Staircase-Escalante






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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10]​

 

...And then, a change of scenery. The Burr Trail continued south at this point to Bullfrog, a town we'd visit later on the trip - but we were headed east, towards the Henry Mountains - now seemingly so close we could touch them.

We stopped, to admire.

Check out the story and amazing photos at F.U.Rain Day 11 - We Follow the Burr Trail to the Henry Mountains​

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F.U.Rain Day 11 - We Follow the Burr Trail to the Henry Mountains​

--- catch up on the whole story so far ---
[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10] [day 11]​

 

...A leisurely lunch behind us, we headed back up the boat ramp ... we had an important place to be - Bears Ears National Monument - a location we wanted to visit in its current form, before any reductions have time to affect the land.

Read the story at F.U.Rain Day 12 - Walloped by Wind, We Head to Bears Ears

Along our route, Monte had noticed a horseshoe bend in the Colorado River and marked it on our maps. We had no idea if there'd be an access road or not, so we were excited when one presented itself, even if there was a half-mile hike at the end in order to see the large meander...



And then, there was this guy, exploring a ditch:

To see all the photos and read the story, check out
F.U.Rain Day 12 - Walloped by Wind, We Head to Bears Ears​

--- catch up on the whole story so far ---
[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10] [day 11] [day 12]​

 

...And then it was my turn. Having watched the two guys in front of me, I picked my line and watched my speed. Halfway across, I could feel the water rushing down the wash, the truck slipping ever-so-slightly downstream as it fought for traction. And then, I was out!

This was perhaps the dumbest thing we'd done all trip.

Check it out with photos at F.U.Rain Day 13 - Our Dangerous Move Into Capitol Reef National Park

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F.U.Rain Day 13 - Our Dangerous Move Into Capitol Reef National Park​

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[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10] [day 11] [day 12] [day 13]​

 

...Our campfire that night was one of our best of the trip. With two bundles of wood, we kept it burning hot - the heat helping to cut the chill of what was clearly going to be a clear, cold night. As we had the night before, talk was of our favorite parts of the trip and places to which we wanted to return - either to re-explore or see in more depth - the list long enough for several more trips!

See and read the conclusion to the great adventure: F.U.Rain Day 14, 15 - Impassable Roads and Unforgettable Memories​

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F.U.Rain Day 14, 15 - Impassable Roads and Unforgettable Memories​

--- and here's the whole story ---
[day 1&2] [day 3] [day 4] [day 5] [day 6] [day 7] [day 8] [day 9] [day 10] [day 11] [day 12] [day 13] [day 14 & 15]


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